


Business Before Pleasure

by misura



Series: Zhaarnak/Prescott ficlets [2]
Category: Starfire Series - Various Authors
Genre: Book: The Shiva Option, M/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 05:03:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19419037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "Your plan is too aggressive."





	Business Before Pleasure

Zhaarnak had been feeling content right until the moment when he and Prescott had entered his rooms and Prescott turned around and said, "Your plan is too aggressive."

_Then why didn't you say so when I presented it?_ Zhaarnak felt a small stab of annoyance. This was Prescott talking, after all, not some inexperienced Human.

On the other hand, _because_ it was Prescott: "You didn't say anything when I presented it."

"Of course not." Prescott sounded a little shocked. "You were - are in charge."

_Humans!_ Zhaarnak thought, though the word lacked some of the earlier disdain he had once felt towards the race. Still, even with Prescott around to explain and clarify the more baffling parts of Human etiquette and behavior, he could not but feel that sometimes the Human idea of proper behavior was just ... dumb.

Orions knew that when a warrior doubted their fang's orders, it was best for them to be permitted to say so out loud and at once. That way, the air would be cleared, and both warrior and fang would go into battle with nothing weighing on their mind other than the battle.

A warrior not permitted to speak their mind, forced to adhere to a plan they did not support would never fight their best. Besides, there was always the chance that a warrior had seen or knew something the fang had missed. Allowing such a mistake to let the battle end in a defeat rather than a victory would bring dishonor on both the warrior and the fang.

Zhaarnak had assumed Prescott knew all of this. On more than one previous occasion, he had been impressed with Prescott's grasp of _Farshalah'kia_ \- the Warrior's Way.

"You want me to change the plan," Zhaarnak said, testing. This was not the conversation he'd expected to be having right now, if 'conversation' was the right word for his expectations.

Prescott bit his lip. The revelation of teeth was minimal, but nevertheless, they were visible, and any other Orion might have interpreted the gesture as a challenge, or at least a display of ignorance.

_He's nervous,_ Zhaarnak realized. He felt an odd sense of hurt. True, as often as not, he and his _vilkshatha_ brother seemed to think alike, but that only made it _more_ imperative they both spoke their minds when they did not agree, not _less_.

"No," Prescott said, but he sounded unhappy.

Zhaarnak swallowed his instinctive outrage at being lied to, and by Prescott, no less. In a way, it was not the first time Prescott had lied to him, after all, and that time, it had brought honor to both of them.

"All right, yes," Prescott amended. "But not because I said so. Because we can't afford to risk the ships."

_If you hadn't gone off on a mission by yourself, you would have been there when I came up with the plan._ Little point in bringing _that_ up, and besides, Zhaarnak had agreed that the survey mission had needed a skilled fang to lead it, in case they did run into any Bugs.

That they had not and that Prescott's absence from his side had thus proven unnecessary had been a matter of luck. Zhaarnak should be happy Prescott and his ships had returned unharmed.

"Nor can we afford to do nothing," Zhaarnak said. He had come up with the plan after careful consideration, while Prescott had been away. "Being aggressive and taking some risk is better than staying passive and being sure the enemy is shoring up defenses." To say nothing of reinforcements.

"Perhaps," Prescott said.

Zhaarnak decided that 'perhaps' exemplified everything he hated - or at least disliked about Human culture. It was so ... non-committal. When an Orion used the word, it meant the speaker could not be certain, because the truth was beyond their ability to know. 'Perhaps' was what you told someone asking about the weather, or their ability to win a game of cards where the outcome was determined by luck rather than skill.

When a Human used it, they meant that they refused to commit to a 'yes' or a 'no' out loud, while in fact, they had already decided; they only did not want to say so.

"Why not discuss this later?" Prescott suggested. "A good night's sleep might help clear our minds, enable us to look at the problem with fresh eyes."

Zhaarnak frowned, then brightened as he hit upon a perfect Human expression to explain why he did not want to take this conflict to the pillows and risk it spoiling their reunion. "Business before pleasure?"

The words still made no sense to him, even if all three of them translated perfectly well to Orion. If there was no pleasure in doing business, why do business at all? Why not look for another activity to undertake, one that would bring one pleasure and enable one to earn a living also?

Prescott smiled, showing no teeth. "Fair enough, I suppose. Can you put the map of this region on the display screen? I will explain my position, and then you can explain yours, and we might discover that we agree after all."

That would be the most pleasant outcome, Zhaarnak acknowledged. _Vilkshatha_ brothers need not agree at all times, but they worked best together when they did. "Of course."

Prescott chuckled, then shook his head. "You really are a smooth, devious bastard when you want to be, aren't you? Here I am, doing exactly what you wanted me to do, what I _didn't_ want to do, and you're making it feel like it's all my idea."

Zhaarnak smirked. In truth, he had not consciously set out to trick Prescott, but it was true enough that he had set out to deal with the problem as he would have with another Orion, coaxing out their admission that they disagreed with them and getting them to explain their reasoning.

"You keep going like this, you will ruin me for working together with any human fangs," Prescott said, switching back to the Tongue of Tongues. "Is that your wish, brother?"

_Yes,_ Zhaarnak thought, even if the rational part of his mind knew that the higher command needed to make use of their abilities as best they might - and two skilled fangs both leading fleets were better than one fleet led by the pair of them.

"My only wish is for there to be no lack of understanding between us, and to show you that I have missed you," he said. "As I have," he added. Zhaarnak did not think of himself as clingy or over-protective, yet he still retained the memory of Telmasa, those few brief yet endless moments when he had not known whether Prescott still lived.

There had been a few more such moments after, and doubtless there would be more before this war was won. Zhaarnak accepted that.

It did not mean he had to like it, or could not welcome Prescott back properly when they reunited.

Prescott swallowed. "I'll make it quick."

Zhaarnak needed a moment to realize Prescott was talking about the explanation for his reluctance to make any aggressive moves, rather than their reunion and the accompanying ... celebration.

"Yes," he agreed, arranging his body in a pose of attentiveness. "I believe that would be best."


End file.
